You've soaked up all the knowledge from the previous sections, and aren't satisfied. That's all right, as we've got a few more tricks for the guitarists and drummers to learn.

Two-Handed Tapping

Speed Strumming

When an onslaught of notes are rapidly approaching and there aren't any HOPOs in sight, the two-handed tap won't save your bacon. You'll need to know how to speed strum, which is another trick that—once combined with two-handed tapping—can make you invincible. Well, sort of. Practice still makes perfect, and we'll show you how to get started.

If you've never watched videos of players FC-ing songs, now may be a good time to do so. They're a useful reference point when it comes to learning how to secure your instrument while preparing to strum like a madman. Some players use clamps and/or stands, others rest their guitars on desks keyboard-style, and another way involves pinning the guitar between your torso and legs.

For most of us, using our own bodies is the only option. It's as simple as the last paragraph made it sound: with the instrument pinned between your torso and legs, you'll put your fingers on the strum bar as if you were holding a guitar pick (see: "Strumming in Style") and prepare to go nuts. Naturally, you'll be using the alt-strum method of moving up and down, and in rapid succession.

One of the best songs in RB2 to practice up/down on is "The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World, because it's an easy song that you can alt-strum to death. It'll help you learn how to keep the rhythm while not using your thumb to hit the notes, which you can subsequently apply at a higher speed on nastier tracks.

Learning how to tap for HOs and POs is one thing (see: "Hammer-Ons and Pull-Offs"), but mastering the craft is an entirely more challenging feat. This is because of two-handed tapping, the most advanced method there is. As its name indicates, you must abandon the strum bar to do it, as you'll be using both your hands on the frets. Sound impossible? It isn't, and there's a couple ways it can be done.

First, we'll get into the oldest method, which pre-dates Rock Band and universally applies to all guitar games. Its adaptability comes at a cost, though: it's the toughest of the two styles.

Your main fretting hand will have its most useful fingers—most likely your pointer and middle—on green and red, while your strum hand will cover the last three. If that's not working for you, try three fingers from the fret hand and two from the strummer. Play with the buttons a bit, fretting from low to high and in reverse sequences, and then mix it up a bit. Practice until this comes naturally, and then you'll be ready to move on to strumming it.

Now that your fingers are firmly in position, try pushing your elbow against the strum bar. Depending upon the length of your arm and your flexibility, this might not work for you. If it does, it'll help you remain coordinated after you strum the first note and tap away at the rest. If that's too awkward, you'll need to start HOPOs by hitting the strum bar quickly and then immediately moving that hand back up to the frets (or use the alternative method that's mentioned below). The latter strumming style might sound easier, but truthfully, it usually isn't.

Quickly moving your hand from the strum to the frets requires lightning-quick reflexes and plenty of practice. There may be some exceptions to this, such as in a song where the beginning of the HOPO relies on the green, red and yellow frets predominantly, thus giving you time to get your other hand up there without losing your tapping streak. Either way, mastering this play style will carry you through every song in Expert Mode.

With that, we've concluded the original way to rule massive HOPOs, so we'll get into the second method, which is exclusive to Rock Band. It involves those thin fret buttons at the bottom of the guitar's neck. Aside from big finishes, you can use these for HOPOs. You'll strum the first note, and then bring that hand upward to those thinner fret buttons, while leaving the other at the top. Alternatively, you can slide your fret hand down to meet it and wail away at the smaller buttons instead. Any combination will work, as all ten frets will respond so long as you've strummed the first note.

By now, you can probably comprehend the comparative ease of the Rock Band tapping style. It doesn't necessitate using your elbow nor moving your hand all the way across the guitar, but it still requires coordination and practice. It's going to take time to learn either method, and you shouldn't burn yourself out by grinding away at it again and again. Practice it over time, preferably by yourself rather than with bandmates.

Double Bass Pedal

Within the "Working the Pedal" section, we discussed hitting double notes, but there's another option for those who can't get the slide down. It'll require an additional monetary investment, and it's arguably a frivolous indulgence, but it'll impress your friends! It's the double bass pedal, which various heavy metal drummers use, and it's possible with RB2's drum kit. In fact, it can be done with the original RB set as well, and we'll talk about that first for those of you who haven't upgraded.

Because it wasn't designed for dual pedal input, the original RB kit only has one port. However, a conventional headphone Y-splitter can be plugged into it, and two pedals can in turn be plugged into that. This will allow you to hook a second RB pedal up, but there's a complication: because the kit wasn't designed for that, it can only detect one signal at a time. What does this mean? If you have one pedal depressed, hitting the other won't work. You'll have to depress one, completely release it, and then hit the other pedal if you want both kicks to register.

There are third-party peripherals which are smart enough to register both kicks, but that would require even more spending on your part. Another option is to procure the actual RB2 set, and utilize its additional port. Obtaining another kick pedal is a challenge too, though; you could either fork out for a honest-to-goodness kick pedal modified to work with RB, make one yourself, or borrow a friend's. In the end, make your decision based upon how much you play drums, and if you'd really be able to coordinate using both feet for the bass. If it sounds like a lot of fun, go for it!